J. A. Konrath

I enjoy writing. Publishing... not so much. I've been lucky to work with some very talented people in the publishing world, and the print industry has allowed me to write full time.

If a traditional publisher offered me a quarter of a million dollars for a novel, I'd consider it. But anything less than that, I'm sure I can do better on my own.

I doubt I'll ever have another traditional print deal.

My Kindle readers have been incredibly faithful fans.

After 20 years, a million written words, and nine rejected novels, I finally landed a book contract.

I love bookstores and booksellers. In my novel 'Dirty Martini,' I thanked over 3,000 booksellers by name in the back matter.

No one was interested in picking up a midlist series, even though I have a decent fanbase and respectable numbers.

Together, Amazon and I are giving readers what they want - inexpensive, professional ebooks.

I've been saying for years that readers want inexpensive ebooks.

It's easier to release an ebook than a print book.

Time is the ultimate long tail. Even with a big wad of money up front, if something sells forever, the back end is what ultimately counts.

My grandchildren will be making money from the stories I write and sell as eBooks because they will continue to be making money.

The publishing industry is an archaic and inefficient industry.

E-books are preferable to paper; they can be delivered instantly. In many cases, they're cheaper; you can buy them with the press of a button.

When a single author uploading his own books to Amazon can earn more money than a large N.Y. publisher exploiting both print and e-rights, there's something amiss.

Writers aren't in competition with one another. It isn't a zero sum game. If you have a good book, a good cover, a good product description, and a low price, you can sell well.

We each take up one virtual space per title... Virtual shelf life is forever. In a bookstore, you have anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to sell your title, and then it gets returned. This is a big waste of money, and no incentive at all for the bookseller to move the book.

I know dozens of authors who have had a lot of books published by New York, and they won't ever take another Big 6 contract since they've gotten a taste of the freedom, control, and money self-publishing offers.

I can hire out for editing, proofreading, formatting, and cover design, and those are fixed, sunk costs. Once those are paid, I can earn 70% on a self-pubbed ebook.

Publishers vet books, and they do a good job keeping out the low quality. But they also miss some good quality.

Writers are essential. Readers are essential. Publishers are not.

Authors need to decide if they want to keep forever to themselves, or share forever with a publisher who takes over half the cover price.

Because we self-published 'Draculas,' we control the rights. Not just for now, but forever.

We all need to focus on our writing. Because the millions of readers out there don't care about your blog.

I have turned off Google Alerts and don't Google my name or my pen names. I don't go on message boards. I don't read my book reviews.